Teachings/Prayer/Three Parables on Prayer
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Prayer and Worship is a major theme in the Gospel of Luke[1]:
- Luke’s Gospel begins (1:8) and ends (24:53) with scenes of worship.
- Luke dedicates more space to Jesus’s prayer life than any other evangelist (3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 29; 22:41, 44) See below for details...
- Prayer bookends his ministry: we find Jesus praying at his baptism in the Jordan River (3:21) as well as on the cross (23:46). [2] .
- Luke's gospel contains three parables on prayer that are unique to Luke's gospel.
- The gospel of Luke is largely structured as in terms of a journey towards Jerusalem (a pilgrimage motif).
Three Parables on Prayer:
Reference | Parable |
---|---|
11:5–8 | The Friend at Midnight |
18:1–8 | The Persistent Widow (and the Unjust Judge) |
18:9–14 | The Pharisee and the Publican (or Tax Collector) |
The meaning of the Parable of the Friend at Midnight:
God often waits for our passionate persistence in prayer. It isn’t that God is reluctant and needs to be persuaded. Our persistence doesn’t change God; it changes us, developing in us a heart and passion for what God wants.
Liturgical material:
Reference | Passage |
---|---|
1:46–55 | Magnificat |
1:68–79 | Benedictus |
2:14 | Gloria in Excelsis |
2:29–32 | Nunc Dimittis |
Jesus at prayer:
Reference | Passage |
---|---|
3:21 | at his baptism |
5:16 | in deserted places |
6:12 | on choosing his disciples |
9:18 | alone, with disciples nearby |
9:28–29 | at his transfiguration |
11:1 | in presence of his disciples |
22:41, 44–45 | in the garden |
Instructions/Encouragements regarding Prayer:
Reference | Passage |
---|---|
11:2–4 | instruction in prayer (Lord's Prayer) |
6:28; 18:1; 21:36; 22:40,46 | encouragement to pray |
- ↑ Baker Publishing Group, http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/introducing-the-new-testament-2nd-edition/11940/students/esources/chapters/700
- ↑ https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-other-lords-prayer